Contamination of a private drinking water supply at a North Canterbury campground has left six people in hospital and at least 10 others ill, the national water authority says.
Taumata Arowai said it was alerted by the National Public Health Service of Health NZ to cases of gastrointestinal illness among people, including school groups, who visited the Hanmer Springs Forest Camp in September.
Taumata Arowai head of operations Steve Taylor said there were 10 confirmed and 37 probable cases associated with the outbreak, and six people had been in hospital.
The illness was caused by a shiga toxin-producing E. coli which, could be serious for young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. Symptoms included severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhoea, vomiting and fever.
“This is a serious illness, and we acknowledge that it will have had a significant impact on those who have been sick and those who are still recovering,” Taylor said.
“A boil water advisory was issued for the campground on 17 September. Since then, staff from the Authority have visited the site to assess the campground’s drinking water supply and to confirm the consumer advisories and mitigation measures are in place.
“Now that the drinking water has been identified as the likely source of the illness, the Authority has issued a direction for the consumer advisory to remain until effective drinking water treatment is in place.”
Taylor said it was vital that visitors to campgrounds were aware of risks and followed instructions to boil drinking water for their safety.
“The campground operator has been cooperative and is actively communicating with groups onsite. Campground guests have been provided with bottled drinking water and signage is in place on all taps advising that the water must be boiled,” he said.
“We encourage all suppliers to understand how they are keeping drinking water safe, especially those who might provide water to a larger number of people in the busy summer months.”
Taumata Arowai said the campground’s water supply was a shallow stream that was likely to contain disease-causing pathogens that would increase during periods of heavy rainfall.
RNZ has approached Hanmer Springs Forest Camp for comment.
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